Is consciousness just an illusion?

Is consciousness just an illusion? Jun 2, 2017 0:34:16 GMT

Quote

Post by Terrapin Station on Jun 2, 2017 0:34:16 GMT

Jun 1, 2017 22:08:50 GMT The Lost One said:

Jun 1, 2017 19:13:23 GMT Terrapin Station said:

The difference is that the different properties from different reference points in no way hinge on there being a being with a mind to receive perceptual data.

But surely reference points imply an observer?

The problem is the unanalyzed aspects of what explanations are.

Ah yes, you said that before. Still not sure I grasp what you mean. But I imagine it's probably too complex a sidetrack for here.

Qualia certainly do have mass, extension, etc.--they're brain states.

How can you know that since qualia can't be tested for scientifically? And would your stance mean things with brains of different matter and configuration (robots, octopuses and aliens) wouldn't have qualia?

And yes, mathematical truths, mathematical objects, etc. are physical. Again, they're brain states. Mathematics isn't objectively real.

Hmm but then if my brain came to the conclusion that 1+1=3, would I be right? Since there is no mathematical truth beyond our brain states.

"But surely reference points imply an observer?" Not at all. It's just a spatio-temporal point.

"Still not sure I grasp what you mean." -- The issue is what counts as an explanation or not, and why that counts as an explanation or not.

"How can you know that since qualia can't be tested for scientifically?" Not that something has to be "tested for scientifically" for us to know it, but there's plenty of evidence that qualia are brain states. The evidence arrives via medical situations where persons' brains have been injured or otherwise compromised and we receive reports from them about their subjective experience.

"Hmm but then if my brain came to the conclusion that 1+1=3, would I be right? " It's not right or wrong. It's a way of thinking about relations on a very abstract level.